


Want

by ladyheroines



Category: Batman (Comics), DCU (Comics)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 12:43:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1305280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyheroines/pseuds/ladyheroines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m going to steal your ex-girlfriend.”</p><p>“Um… what?” he managed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Want

“I’m going to steal your ex-girlfriend.”

Tim blinked, one gauntlet in his hand, the other still covering his right hand. He had barely dragged himself into his hidden base, just having time to throw back the Red Robin cowl and start pulling at the gloves when Cass had materialized out of seemingly nowhere and declared the last statement he had been expecting to hear today.

“Um… what?” he managed, pulling off the other glove and tossing the pair aside. He was not awake enough for this

“How should I do that?” Cass asks, tilting her head to the side, looking much like a curious kitten who had just heard a strange sound for the first time. She was wearing her Black Bat uniform, though her mask had been discarded at some point, and was no doubt drifting around somewhere nearby.

“How should you… steal my ex-girlfriend?” Tim questioned, struggling to understand what this line of questioning actually meant. It had been a long patrol, and he was thoroughly exhausted and just wanted to collapse in his bed for a few hours of sleep before the board meeting tomorrow, but Cass didn’t look like she was going anywhere without an explanation. For what, Tim wasn’t sure.

She nodded, once, and then tilted her head to the side again, clearly awaiting Tim’s response.

“I don’t understand,” he finally admitted, shaking his head and moving to sit beside her on the floor, removing his cape to help relieve the weight on his shoulders.

“Steph. I want her,” Cass said. Tim just stared at her for a moment before something clicked that left him gaping at her.

“Wait, you mean you _want_ her?” he asked, trying not to look like he had just been hit in the face with a brick (again), but this revelation was definitely brick-worthy.

Cass gave him a look that clearly stated yes, and that’s what I just said, and I love you but you’re an idiot, and then shrugged.

“You… Cass, you don’t just… You don’t _steal_ somebody’s ex-girlfriend like you would swipe something from store window!” Tim exclaimed, floundering as he tried to figure out what Cass thought she was saying.

Cass cocked her head to the side once more, but only slightly. “No, but… When I arrested Catwoman last week, she said she wished I was Batman so she could steal a kiss. And in the movies they talk about stealing each other’s hearts. It seems to have a romantic connotation,” she said, clearly confused.

“I.. yes, but they don’t mean it like the way you said it. You mean you like Steph, right? You want to… date her?” The concept was foreign to Tim. He didn’t have anything against it, he and Steph had both moved on, but it was just weird to think about _Cass_ and Steph dating.

“Of course I like Steph,” Cass said, like that part was so obvious she was honestly confused that Tim even had to ask it.

“Humour me.”

“Yes. I want to… be her girlfriend,” Cass relented. Her wording made Tim whine a little inwardly, because just hearing Cass say she wants someone so freely was not something he was prepared for tonight.

“When someone says they want someone, it can mean they want to be in a relationship with them, but usually they mean they are attracted to them and would like to be-” Tim cut off to gesture somewhat wildly around as means of editing the word out, because he really didn’t want to be explaining anything involving the word sexual to anyone, much less his sister, _much less his sister who was talking about one of his closest friends, who was also his ex-girlfriend_. “-with them

“Yes,” Cass said simply, nodding her affirmation of his statement. Nodding her affirmation that her want went _both ways_ of his statement.

 _Deep breaths, Tim, deep breaths_ , he reminded himself.

“So you, erm, _want_ her. And you also. Want her to be your girlfriend? You like her?” Tim finally said, trying to not look as uncomfortable as he was discussing _this._

Cass nodded. Tim took those deep breaths, finally feeling some solidity in the conversation at last.

“Okay. When you just say you’re going to steal someone’s ex-girlfriend, it sounds like all you interested in is hurting the feelings of the person they used to date, rather than that you are actually interested in the ex-girlfriend,” Tim explained, and Cass’s expression looked somewhat horrified.

“No. Never. I… want Steph just… because I do. And I wouldn’t want to make you unhappy,” Cass said, nodding understanding as she looked down, a little guiltily.

“It’s okay, Cass, I know, I was just very surprised. And confused. It’s just that you misinterpreted what you had heard others say.” Tim told her, finally relaxing enough to go about removing his bandoliers.

Cass looked up, the corner of her mouth twitching upward a little, and nodded once, scooting over to allow Tim more room to take off the bandoliers. Once they were on the floor, he undid his boots and yanked them off, finally sitting down to look at her properly again.

“Why did you come to tell me this tonight?” he asked, and Cass shrugged ambiguously, even though, really, she knew exactly why she came to him.

“You dated her before. That’s why I wanted to ask how I should tell someone I… like them?” she paused, looking up for affirmation that like was the better word to use, rather than want, and when Tim nodded she continued, “Especially Steph.”

“Steph is a little unique,” Tim consented, smiling as he nudged at Cass’s shoulder. “You just have to tell her she’s important to you, and you like her, and feel for her. That should be plenty for her to get it. Steph’s pretty good at this kind of thing. Hold her hand while you do it, too; she likes that.”

“Thank you, Tim,” Cass said, fully smiling her thanks. She didn’t verbally thank often, usually her body language was enough to get her feeling across, but Tim appreciated the effort. It also showed him just how important this was to her. As she stood he nodded to her, watching her reach across to where his computer bank was and producing her mask out of somewhere in the mess of wires.

“Good luck,” he told her as she made her way to the exit. She paused at it, turning to give him one nod, and then disappearing out of the hideaway.

“Goodnight, brother.”


End file.
